


I Can't Help Falling In Love With You

by Nerdalie_29



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/M, FUCK, Fem!Canada - Freeform, Fem!Matthew, Fluff, Human Names Used, Love at First Sight, dunno which is a better tag but, i love writing stories where gilbert meets matt/maddie and is just like, love!!!, prucan, they're so in love!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-30 20:48:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15759402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdalie_29/pseuds/Nerdalie_29
Summary: Gilbert takes a walk through the park and it changes his life.Or, the story of how Gilbert met Madeline by complete coincidence and fell in love at first sight.





	I Can't Help Falling In Love With You

He was eighteen when he saw her. 

A walk through the park had let him clear his mind from everything in it. And perhaps it was that clarity that allowed him to see her. Had he been thinking of everything else - what to do next, how to fix his boss’ problem at work, whether it was worth fixing or not - he might have slipped right past her and never had met her. And even at the time, Gilbert recognized what a tragedy that would have been. 

But it was because of his brother’s suggestion that he saw her. He made a mental note to thank him, as his eyes gazed on the beauty across the park from him. He watched from afar, trying to not seem creepy about it, but not doing a very good job. Her hair was blonde, such a blonde that it was almost yellow. It was suddenly his favorite color. He couldn’t quite see her eyes, as they were divulged in a book - a thick one at that - but he could tell that her skin was flawless. Maybe she was wearing makeup, maybe she was just that perfect. Either way he didn’t care one bit. She seemed rather skinny, her legs crossed on the bench she was perched on. 

He watched as her lips spread in a grin, and she laughed. Something in the book had made her laugh. And he couldn’t stand to not be the one making her laugh. 

Slowly and tentatively, as if she didn’t want the chapter she was reading to end, she closed the book and stood, taking a look around as she stretched - how long had she been sitting there, he wondered. Her eyes scanned over the park, landing on him for a split second before she looked away. She paused, and turned back. It was so quick that he barely had time to look away, or even move out of her eyesight - but it didn’t matter, she’d seen him staring. And there was no turning back. 

She smiled. A small, careful smile. And then she turned around and started walking. 

He leaned on a tree, mentally cursing himself for just staring and not talking to her. That wasn’t like him. He could usually just swagger up to a girl, give her some cool (if not corny) line, and bring her home that night. Sometimes it was just ten minutes later. 

He knew exactly why he couldn’t do that this time. She was just too beautiful, too out of his league. The girls he went after were  _ hot, _ never this beautiful. He didn’t know what to do. 

 

It was two weeks later when he finally saw her again. And this time, he wasn’t going to pass it up. 

She was in the same place, but this time, standing. She looked like she wanted to pace but something was keeping her. There was no book, but a phone in her hands. She kept checking it, sighing, and looking around again. He took a deep breath, lightly shook out his hands, and then took a step forward. 

He immediately stopped when he heard a man shout a name. It sounded like “Maddie” but he couldn’t be sure. He was sure, however, that whoever it was was looking for  _ her _ . She turned around, gasped, and then ran towards the man who’d appeared behind her. 

He picked her up. They spun. They were laughing, and, again, he ached to be the one to help her produce that angelic sound. Upon seeing the two walk off together, his heart broke with the realization that he never would. 

 

Another three weeks passed before he ran into her. 

LIterally. 

She was jogging this time, on the path he always walked. They went in opposite directions. He was staring down, upset with something that’d happened earlier, mind racing with the millions of ways he could have made it better, could have done it better, could have kept his bosses from becoming so cross with him; he came to the park to clear his mind again. But it didn’t help. Every time he looked up, he saw the bench and got three times sadder. 

She was looking up, eyes in the sky, head in the clouds. Music filled her ears and she didn’t pay attention to a thing. 

They collided, and she went to the ground while he only stumbled. She gasped slightly, wincing as her knee started to bleed. He turned around and his eyes widened. 

“O-Oh, shit, I’m sorry!!” He knelt down, frowning as she sat up and looked down at her knee. He started to blabber on about how sorry he was, how he was so out of it, how he had an office not too far away, how-

Her giggling cut him off, and he looked into her eyes. Violet. They were  _ violet _ . 

He quirked an eyebrow in question, but she just continued to giggle. He slowly grinned and stood up, holding a hand out, a silent offering to help her up and then fix her knee. 

He wrapped a hand around her waist, and she wrapped an arm around his neck, and together they walked back to his office, where he worked as an intern for the time being. He was careful to avoid the bathroom in which his bosses were probably cleaning up his coffee spill mess; settling with one of the family bathrooms in the lobby, she sat up on the counter, and he started to wipe away the blood trailing down her leg. 

“Madeline.” She said suddenly, quietly. He looked up and blinked. “My name is Madeline, by the way.” He smiled a bit too wide. 

“Gilbert.” 

 

He was nineteen when he finally worked up the courage to ask her out. 

They’d been friends for the year since they met. But Maddie said she’d just gotten out of a relationship, so she wasn’t looking for another one, at least not yet. Gilbert agreed to wait a while, keeping his longing stares to a minimum and his feelings in check. He’d been dying to tell her how he felt, though he was pretty sure it was obvious. He was worried that she would say no, no matter how many times he asked or how heartfelt he was. It just came out while they were eating one night. 

He’d brought her to one of the hot dog stands that were scattered around the city, surprised when she said she had never gone to one. She started talking about when she first moved to New York. Something along the lines of how scary it was. Gil was barely listening, too caught up in how cute she was when she was passionate about things. Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Go out with me.” He said, glad he said the right words. He almost went one too far and asked her to marry him. 

She took a long time to answer. Or, maybe it wasn’t a long time, really. He could only imagine what it would feel like when he finally got to the point where he could ask her to marry him. 

But eventually, she nodded slightly, a happy smile on her face. She didn’t look up, but Gilbert was sure she was blushing, hiding her face in her long hair. “Okay.” 

He was sure it was only one of the best things to come out of her lips for a long time. 

 

It was two years later when they made love for the first time. Gilbert was adamant on waiting for marriage, for Maddie, for the romance of it, for the tradition. But Maddie convinced him this was better. 

Still, he wanted to make it romantic. So he got come rose petals, candles, and even made her dinner; starting with a nice salad with a strawberry vinaigrette.

Something he’d forgotten was that Maddie as allergic to strawberries. 

Severely. 

She barely had to take one bite before she got hives, and they were on their way to the hospital. Gil apologized maybe a thousand times, but Maddie just kept giggling. She thought it was funny - Gil worried maybe it was another side effect of the allergic reaction. They came home a few hours later, and Maddie was exhausted. She was not allowed inside the house, however, until Gil had gotten rid of all of the strawberries, cleaned every inch of the counter and their table, and even then he was on edge until they were up in their bedroom. 

And then he brought her inside, and refused to let her sleep until he made up for it. 

He kissed her pale skin, from her neck to her legs. Every now and then he spoke her name to make sure she was awake. Every time she smiled and just nodded her head. Slowly, he undressed her. He unbuttoned her shirt, then lightly kissed her collarbone as he pulled the shirt off. She bit her lip and hummed, closing her eyes. Gilbert pulled away and pouting lightly, moving so his lips were hovering over hers. 

“Don’t fall asleep…” he whined quietly. He pecked her lips. She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“Yes sir...” 

Gil lightly started to grind his hips in between her legs, smiling as she moaned quietly. He reached down and unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them down until they were to her ankles. She kicked them off the rest of the way. Gilbert continued to kiss down to her stomach, open mouthed kisses that left little red marks if he sucked hard enough. She whimpered and he was reminded that she  _ was  _ a virgin. He was already being careful, but he made a mental note to be even more so. 

He reached her panties and she was blushing, her face just a bit brighter than the hue of the red underwear. He hooked a finger around the waistband and pulled them down, smiling as she shivered. 

“Is this okay?” He asked, just to be safe. She let out a breathless  _ yes _ , and Gil pressed a kiss to the lips between her legs. 

He continued to work his tongue in the folds, occasionally slipping a finger in every now and then. Her gasps and moans fueled his drive and he moved faster, smiling slightly as his name was interlaced with a groan. 

“Pl-please…!” She breathed, wanting more. But Gil was determined to make her cum before he got any pleasure. He wanted to make her absolutely happy, pleasured, at ease - especially after the almost-fatal mistake he’d made tonight. He pushed a finger past her entrance, carefully, letting her adjust before he started to thrust it. His tongue worked at her clit, making her mewl in pleasure. The waves of pleasure rocking through her, through every inch of her body, made her cum much faster than she would have wished. 

But it felt so good, left her breathless, and she knew it was not the last time she would feel it that night. 

Gilbert sat up after letting her ride out the orgasm, smiling down at her. Maddie flew up, pressing their lips together and running her hands through his hair. He chuckled slightly at her enthusiasm, pulling his lips away as she reached down to start unbuckling his pants. 

“Not tired anymore, are we?” 

She grinned at him, pulling him with her as she lied back down. 

He quickly worked off the rest of his clothes, rolled on a condom, and started teasing her a bit as he grinded against her opening. 

“Fucking- just  _ fuck me _ , Gilbert…!” 

Gilbert blushed in surprise, his eyes widening. He’d never heard his sweet, innocent little birdie swear. 

It turned him on more than any other girl he’d ever been with. 

Gilbert quickly pushed himself in, groaning at how tight she was. It wasn’t long before he was rocking into her, listening to each and every breath she gave, savoring the swears and moans she gave. He found a good pace, leaning down to kiss her lips and nip at her jaw. 

She gasped and became silent as she came again, Gil following soon after, filling the condom. He flopped down next to her and grinned, watching her try to catch her breath with him. After a few minutes, she rolled over onto him, straddling his hips and grinding down. Gil just grinned up at her. 

He knew this night was long from over. 

 

It was three years later before he got the nerve - again - to ask the thing he’d wanted to ask for so many years. 

Just like the first important question he asked, it slipped out during dinner. This time, however, he’d planned it. 

Kind of. 

He made her favorite meal - making sure he didn’t add any of the foods she was allergic to - and poured some of his best wine. He kept checking his pocket, making sure the ring was still there, the entire meal. Maddie noticed. 

“Okay, what’s the matter?” She asked worriedly. Her eyebrows creased upwards and she frowned a little, making Gilbert feel awful immediately. He hated worrying her. 

“I-um, it’s nothing.” he said quickly. “I have to use the bathroom - I’ll, uh, be right bac-” He stood up quickly, knocking the ring out of his pocket and over towards Maddie.  _ Shit! _ He thought.  _ Just my luck. _

He watched as she set her fork down and picked it up. Everything was in slow motion - or at least it seemed that way to Gilbert. Her lips formed a perfect “o” and she sucked in a breath as she opened the box. 

“Gil…” She finally whispered after what seemed like an eternity. Gilbert started fidgeting, frowning as all of his worst fears came to life. She was going to say no, wasn’t she?? He could picture it already; she’d close the box slowly, stand up, shake her head, before running out of the house without a word. 

“I-Is it not big enough??” He asked worriedly, wringing his hands. “I-I can get a bigger one! You can pick it out a-and everything!” He frowned more as she looked up to stare at him. He looked down at his hands. 

“It’s stupid, isn’t it? Stupid, I know, I-I shouldn’t- you’re too perfect for me, fuck, I’m sorr-” Maddie cut him off by grabbing his tie and pulling him down. She kissed his lips, cupping his face and closing her eyes. He took a moment to react, but eventually kissed her back, closing his eyes as well. 

She pulled away and grinned at him, shoving the box into his hands. 

“Ask me properly.” She whispered, perhaps too shocked to breathe properly. Gilbert cleared his throat and nodded, quickly scrambling to the floor. He almost tripped but caught himself, kneeling on his left knee. He cleared his throat again. 

“Madeline Williams… Will you marry me?” 

Maddie calmed herself, putting on her best indignant face. Gilbert’s face dropped and she giggled. 

“Of course, you dumby!” She shouted and he grinned widely, standing up to wrap his arms around her. He pulled away after a second to put the ring on, before hugging her even tighter. 

“I love you,” He whispered and she buried her face in his neck. 

“I love you more, you dork.” 

 

They were twenty six when they finally got married and Gilbert wouldn’t have changed how everything went for the world. 

They’d planned to get married in Madeline’s childhood church - a request from her parents that they were happy to oblige - but then the church had a carpenter ant infestation and they had to be tented for the weekend. 

_ That’s fine _ , Maddie had said, smiling and radiant as ever. She didn’t really care one way or the other  _ where  _ they got married, just so long as they got married. So, they went ahead and booked the park nearby and, honestly, Gilbert was more than happy about that. He would have prefered the park over the church from the beginning, but just wanted to make everyone happy in the beginning of their marriage. 

They’d planned to have their entire family over, long lost cousins and relatives they hardly spoke to, and close friends who’d been there every step of the way. They wanted everyone in on the wedding, even offered to pay for the plane tickets some would need - Gilbert insisted he could afford it and Maddie knew he was right. He’d gotten a high paying job shortly after his internship ended and while they were incredibly lucky for this fact, Madeline still felt horrible that he would be paying for the majority of the wedding, since her ameteur paintings only earned her a couple hundred dollars a month. 

But then when the church fell through, a couple distant relatives decided not to come. They didn’t want to sit in at a wedding that was outside and risk getting bitten up by bugs or sunburnt or- Gibert was sure these were just excuses, but he didn’t mind.  _ It’s whatever _ , he’d said, sure that all he needed for a perfect wedding was Madeline, Madeline, and Madeline. They could get married tomorrow in Vegas for all he cared. 

They’d planned to have this big reception with all of their friends and family and co-workers, give them the best party of their lives in the closest reception hall, serve a bunch of good food and alcohol and start this marriage off right. 

But then the caterer fell through and Gilbert didn’t know how to fix it. Nobody was available the day they’d decided on for their wedding and he couldn’t cook to save his life. Gilbert apologized over and over to Maddie, saying they’d probably just have to get take-out or something so people wouldn’t starve at their wedding. 

But then Maddie, gorgeous, intelligent, wonderful Maddie, called one of her friends from high school - who was coming to the wedding anyway - and asked if they would mind catering for them. The guest list had severely dropped from a few hundred or so to less than fifty, so Lovina agreed easily, but only if she wouldn’t have to do it for free. Madeline had laughed her amazing and wonderful laugh and agreed, then hung up the phone and told Gilbert it was all taken care of. 

They’d planned on starting off their family well after their wedding, well into their marriage and hopefully after they’d had time to save up for a house instead of their rather cramped apartment. But then Maddie came home one day after a visit with the doctor and told Gilbert the reason for all of her symptoms - her headaches, her mood swings, her slight nausea - was the beginning of their family. Gilbert, of course, panicked, worried Madeline would be angry for his carelessness, worried she would be scared to start a family now, worried they wouldn’t be able to handle a baby, worried about what their family would say- 

But then Maddie looked at him. She just looked at him. She had so much love and affection and hope in her eyes, she had her hands over her stomach and a smile on her face, and all of Gilbert’s panicking went away. He could suddenly see a tiny Maddie running around their small apartment, playing with their cat and her toys on the floor, crying and screaming and joyfully giggling. He could see a mini-Gilbert in Maddie’s lap as she napped on the couch, and he could see himself teaching his son-  _ their  _ son how to walk, how to play sports and how to tell a good joke. 

He gathered Maddie in his arms and they swayed in place, dancing to music that wasn’t playing, and murmuring baby names to each other until they’d settled on one for the time being. 

It was three weeks before the wedding and Gilbert realized they didn’t even have a photographer. Madeline realized this as he said it and tried her best not to seem disappointed but Gilbert could see it in her eyes, even if it was just for a split second. She smiled it away and waved her hand, claiming it was fine, they didn’t need photos because she’d remember it for the rest of their life. Gilbert nodded, pretending to be okay with this plan, but made a mental note to look for a photographer that was open on the day of their wedding. 

What he found was actually something one of his friends had suggested. Instead of hiring a professional photographer and having (yet another) stranger in on their special day, Gilbert invested in what seemed like a thousand disposable cameras. When he came home with them, Maddie, who’d done a terrible job at hiding how disappointed she was that they couldn’t get a photographer in time, was elated. Sure, a professional would be great for those glamour shots, but their friends and family knew them better. They might not be able to take the greatest  _ looking  _ photos in the world, but they would be able to capture the moments that meant the most to them. They’d be able to have fun all night, taking photos of each other and of the bride and groom, capturing candid moments and posed moments and everything in between, much better, Maddie’d said, than anything a professional photographer could manage. 

 

The day finally arrived and Gilbert couldn’t express how excited he was. It was noon on a Saturday and his friends were anxiously waiting for them in the park. He stood with his brother as he offered to fix his tie, looked him over once more, before giving him a proud smile. Gilbert returned it, and all but ran outside to meet his bride - his soon to be  _ wife _ . 

Madeline was shining, gorgeous and radiant and beaming with happiness as she walked down the aisle. She had her flowers by her slightly enlarged stomach and Gilbert felt the tears he’d been trying to hold back fall down his cheek. He’d been so worried about how she would feel on their wedding day with a baby bump, worried she wouldn’t feel as beautiful as she looked, worried she’d be nauseous or that she’d be furious she couldn’t wear the dress she’d picked out months prior. The latter was true - she’d tried to zip into it a few weeks ago, when she noticed how big she was getting and was unable to fit into it. It had only been a few months since she found out she was pregnant, but being as skinny as she was, it was easy to show. Gilbert was worried then, too, about how she would feel, but Madeline shrugged and said she’d pick up a dress from Target or something sometime soon. She reminded GIlbert that all that mattered was that she would meet him at the end of that aisle and they would say “I Do”. 

But now that GIlbert saw her, now for the first time in 24 hours, now he couldn’t imagine how much more beautiful she could have looked. Instead of the full length gown she’d gotten for a couple thousand dollars, she was wearing a cheaper one, indeed from Target, and though she looked a bit more casual than your normal bride, she was the most beautiful one Gilbert had ever seen. She was glowing, not just from the love she could feel from all the attendees at their wedding, but glowing with pride and happiness and from the baby in her belly -  _ their  _ baby in her belly. Gilbert took a second to look around at all of the people watching as Madeline slowly made her way to him, watched as they brushed aside a few tears of their own or carefully blotted them away, watched as these people he’d grown to love and consider his closest family joined together to watch the most important day of his life, and Gilbert felt more tears slip out. 

He’d never felt this loved, felt this happy, felt this at peace. He was marrying the love of his life after being together with her for over six years. In a few months, they’d have a baby, one made from so much love and care and Gilbert almost couldn’t handle it. 

It took all of him not to take her in his arms and hold her there until his family left, to forget about all the formalities of a wedding and just hug her tight, whisper that he never wants to let go and hold true to his promise. 

She anxiously greeted him at the altar, handing her flowers to her maid of honor, but never taking her eyes off of her soon-to-be-Husband. She took his hands and he noted once again how soft, how  _ incredibly  _ soft her hands were. If Gilbert were sitting down, he would be bouncing his leg, eager to get the ceremony done with so he could kiss his bride. The priest seemed to notice and took longer with the ceremony than usual - or at least, this is what Gilbert would claim for many, many years to come - but eventually, his wish came true; the priest announced them as married, and Gilbert surged forward, pulling Madeline with him to press their lips together. Effortlessly, he dipped her and kissed her deeply, Madeline responding in kind with her arms wrapped around his neck.  He wanted to stay like this forever, but knew that maybe he shouldn’t not only in front of this large crowd but also in front of a priest, and pulled back, carefully helping Maddie to stand upright.

They left the park and made their way to their reception hall, where Lovina had already gotten their dinners prepared and was ordering around her helpers. She greeted Madeline with an uncharacteristically huge hug and a smile at Gilbert, before turning back around and smacking someone with her towel. 

“Madeline deserves the world,” Lovina had once said to him when he asked why she would agree to such an event when she hated not only people but  _ doing things _ . “I would do anything for her.” 

Gilbert looked down at his bride- at his  _ wife _ , standing by his side, taking in the sight of all of their friends and family, eating and chatting and having a good time, hand in his and head on his shoulder. He reaches down and kisses the top of her head, smiling and stomach flipping and heart racing and all. Madeline looks up and smiles back at him. 

They spend the rest of the night dancing to various songs on various music players hooked up to a big bluetooth speaker, supplied by Madeline’s brother; eating snacks some of the wedding party had supplied when they heard the caterer had fallen through; watching as their friends grew drunker and drunker from the open bar they’d still managed to have. 

And as Gilbert gazed at Madeline for another long moment, reminding himself again that she was indeed his  _ wife  _ now, his heart swelled with love and pride. He felt as if he could almost see the future, could almost see their little son running around on their apartment, could see Madeline’s legs strewn across his own as she naps on the couch. He was so excited for the future to start. 

Gilbert thought back to all those years ago when he’d first met Maddie, when he’d seen her from across the park and fell speechless. She still rendered him speechless sometimes. 

Madeline turns over to look at him as she carefully slips off her heels, sits next to him and puts an arm on his shoulders. She smiles. 

“What?” She asks, moving to get comfortable - or as comfortable as she can in these fold out chairs the venue supplied them with. Gilbert just shrugs and leans in to kiss her, soft, slow, and sweet. When they pull away, Maddie is blushing. 

“Nothing. I just… really love you.” 

Maddie’s smile widens and she presses their foreheads together, pulls him a little bit closer, sighs happily. 

“I really love you too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!!! Thank you for reading!!  
> I legit wrote this YEARS ago on my phone's notes app while I was going to bed, and finished it a few weeks ago, so... forgive me if it's a little discombobulated at the end.   
> I will never stop writing Gilbert as madly in love with Matthew in every single universe always. (To be fair, Matthew is also always madly in love with Gilbert in every single universe always, I just like writing Gilbert more alsdkjf).   
> Pls leave Kudos and/or a comment if you liked it!!! Thank you have a fantastic day!!!!!!!!!


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